Synopsis

Creative Team
The Agitators tells of the enduring but tempestuous friendship of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass. Great allies? Yes. And at times, great adversaries. Young abolitionists when they met in Rochester in the 1840s, they were full of hopes, dreams, and a common purpose. As they grew to become the cultural icons we know today, their movements collided and their friendship was severely tested. This is the story of that forty-five-year friendship – from its beginning in Rochester, through a civil war, and to the highest halls of government. They agitated the nation, they agitated each other, and, in doing so, they helped shape the Constitution and the course of American history.
Director: Brian Chandler
Scenic Designer: Tetta M. Askeland
Lighting Designer: Brandon Davies
Costume Designer: Sydney Dematteis
Sound Designer: Hazen Tobar
Intimacy Director: Julia Fisher
Stage Manager: Patrick Lee Johnson*

Content Warnings:

  • Haze & Strobe
  • Gunfire
  • Peanut Allergies (airborne) (Real peanuts are eaten on stage!)
  • Depictions of whipping and other violence
  • Frank descriptions and discussions of slavery, violence, racism, and misogyny

CAST

*Appearing through an Agreement between this theatre, Rubber City Theatre, and Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
**Actors' Equity Membership Candidate.​
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Actors' Equity Association (“Equity"), founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 51,000 professional Actors and Stage Managers. Equity fosters the art of live theatre as an essential component of society and advances the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. Actors' Equity is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. #EquityWorks
“The Agitators” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
Originally Commissioned and produced by Geva Theatre Center Rochester, NY Mark Cuddy, Artistic Director Christopher Mannelli, Executive Director. THE AGITATORS was further developed as part of The New Harmony Project 2017 Conference.